LUMINOSITY OF PLANTS, 155 
only could arise from Nature’s own combinations, 
has charms for us, which for a little while longer 
will detain us in the open air. 
What is that little pale glow of light resting 
on that bed of marigolds, like the “ glory” on the 
heads of saints, pictured by the old masters? 
Can plants emit light? So strange is the idea 
that unless actually witnesses of the phenomenon 
ourselves, we could scarcely believe it true. 
Nevertheless, there is the light. The marigolds 
are undoubtedly the producers of it, for neither 
glow-worms nor other luminous insects are to be 
found. What have we to say, then, as to the 
luminosity of plants ? 
The Fungi, as we have already had occasion to 
notice, are not unfrequently splendidly luminous ; 
but, as we then saw, they are in other respects 
the complete exceptions to the rest of plants. 
The daughter of the great Botanist of Sweden, 
Linnzus, appears first to have noticed this strange 
phenomenon. She observed that the flowers of 
the Nasturtium, the marigold, and others of an 
orange-colour, emitted light at the close of a 
warm Summer’s day. ‘The following singular fact 
is even more striking :—‘‘ In the garden of the 
